Dead end clamp

ABSTRACT

A DEAD END CLAMP HAVING A CLEVIS-EQUIPPED MAIN BODY FORMED LENGTHWISE THEREOF WITH A CABLE-SEATING CHANNEL. A SINGLE CLAMPING JAW OVERLIES THE CHANNEL FROM ONE SIDE AND IS HELD CLOSED BY A SINGLE L-SHAPED BOLT PIVOTED TO THE UPPER SIDE OF THE JAW IN COOPERATION WITH EITHER ONE OR A PAIR OF CAP SCREWS. THE LATTER PASS LOOSELY THROUGH UPWARDLY FLARING OPENINGS IN THE CLAMP BODY INTO THREADED BORES FORMED IN THE JAW, THE FLARING OPENINGS PERMITTING THE LOOSENED JAW TO PIVOT LATERALLY AWAY FROM THE CHANNEL TO ITS FULLY OPEN POSITION.

Feb. 16, 1971 UNDSEY ETAL 3,562,875

DEAD END CLAMP I Filed June 16, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ha J.

INVI-IN'I'URG. Z. 6. /A/DSCV BY M55561 7 1. AMMG/MG' L. E. LINDSEY ET AL DEAD END CLAMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 45, FIG 7 Z&

Feb. 16, 1971 Filed June 16, 1969 United States Patent 3,562,875 DEAD END CLAMP L. E. Lindsey, Pasadena, and Herbert P. Sammons, Glendale, Calif., assignors to L. E. Lindsey, Pasadena, Calif. Filed June 16, 1969, Ser. No. 833,359 Int. Cl. F16g 11/06 US. Cl. 24125 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dead end clamp having a clevis-equipped main body formed lengthwise thereof with a cable-seating channel. A single clamping jaw overlies the channel from one side and is held closed by a single L-shaped bolt pivoted to the upper side of the jaw in cooperation with either one or a pair of cap screws. The latter pass loosely through upwardly flaring openings in the clamp body into threaded bores formed in the jaw, the flaring openings permitting the loosened jaw to pivot laterally away from the channel to its fully open position.

This invention relates to dead end clamps and more particularly to an improved, more efficient and effective construction including a clamping jaw held captively assembled to the main body and arranged to pivot laterally away from one side of the cable-seating channel leaving the latter unobstructed during installation and servicing of a cable.

The rugged, simple clamping assembly provided by this invention includes an elongated channeled main body formed with a clevis at one end for anchorage to a fixed support. A cable is held firmly clamped in the seating channel by an elongated clamping jaw having a supporting portion projecting laterally from one side of the channel with one or a pair of threaded bores to seat clamping cap screw means. An inverted L-shaped bolt has its upper end pivoted to the jaw and its threaded leg swingable into the notched edge of the main body. The cap screw means and a nut on the L'shaped bolt cooperate in holding the clamp firmly seated. When loosened, the L-bolt swings upwardly through an arc in excess of 180 degrees to counterbalance the jaw assembly laterally away from the channel leaving the latter fully open and unobstructed. When pivoted to closed position, its nut and the cap screws cooperate in holding the jaw and the clamped body firmly gripped against the opposite sides of the cable.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a simple, ruggedly constructed dead end clamp having a minimum number of components captively assembled and cooperating when loosened to hold the jaw opened and pivoted away from the cable-seating channel.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a dead end clamp having a movable cable-clamping jaw held assembled to the main body by at least one cap screw and a cooperating L-bolt and so arranged that the L-bolt operates to hold the jaw opened.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved dead end clamp having a main body and a cooperating clamping jaw adapted to be held closed by a pair of cap screws and a cooperating L-bolt pivoted to the jaw and swingable crosswise of the cable-seating channel through an arc in excess of 180 degrees.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

3,562,875 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one preferred embodiment of the invention showing the jaw clamped closed;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view from the lower side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 3-3 on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the jaw counterbalanced to its fully open position; and

FIGS. 5 to 8 are views corresponding, respectively, to FIGS. 1 to 4 but showing a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 to 4, a first preferred embodiment of the invention, designated generally 10, includes an elongated main body 11 formed with a clevis 12 at its rear or anchor end and in upwardly opening conductor-receiving channel 13 extending lengthwise along its forward end. Clevis 12 has a pair of aligned openings 14 seating a clevis pin 15 normally locked in place by a cotter key or the like 16. The eyelet of an anchor cable attached to a post, pole of other anchorage is normally held assembled to the clevis by pin 15.

The forward end of main body 11 includes a loop 18 closely offset laterally of the forward end of channel 13 and is used as the anchorage for a tackle block or the like commonly used to stretch a conductor or cable to a desired degree of tautness preliminary to its anchorage in clamp 10.

Cooperating with the cable-seating channel 13 is an elongated clamping jaw 20 having the general configuration shown in the drawing including a cable-seating channel 21 extending along its lower side. law 20 is provided with suitable reinforcing ribs 22 along its upper side and one lateral side projects as at 23 and is formed with a pair of threaded bores 24, 25 to receive the upper ends of cap screws 26, 27. The shanks of these cap screws extend upwardly through flarring bores 28 formed along one side of main body 11 laterally of and closely adjacent one side of channel 13. The side walls of bores 28 fiare at an appropriate angle, such as that indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, and so as to support cap screws 26, 27 and jaw 20 in the position shown in FIG. 4 in the open position of the jaw. When so positioned, all parts of the jaw assembly are held captive with the main body and disposed fully to one side of channel 13 thereby to avoid obstructing access to the channel or interfering with the insertion or removal of the cable to be anchored.

Cooperating with cap screws 26 and 27 in clamping the jaw closed is an inverted L-shaped clamping bolt 30 having its shorter leg 31 pivotally connected to jaw 20 by a pivot pin 32. Its longer leg 33 is threaded and provided with a clamping nut 34 and washers 35. The latter are held approximately in proper position by an upset lug 36 struck out from leg 33, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The threaded shank 33 fits loosely within a notch 38 opening laterally through oue side of main body 11.

It will be understood that the L-shaped clamping bolt 31 and its pivotal connection 32 with the clamping jaw is preferably offset so as to lie substantially closer to cap screw 27 than to cap screw 26. This offset relation is clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is found highly useful in distributing the load stresses of the clamp to the cable 40 to be anchored. Thus, since clamp 30 is relatively closer to cap screw 27 and the rear end of the conductor being anchored, it will be evident that the maximum clamping stress is applied to the cable near the rear end of channel 13. The precise reasons why this arrangement provides superior and more effective clamping action on the conductor are not fully understood but are readily appreciated by persons having experience and who are familiar with field results.

In use, the cap screws are loosened as is nut 34 on L-bolt 30. After the nut has been properly loosened, the L-bolt is pivotable out of notch 38 and about pivot pin 32 until leg 31 engages the outer lateral edge of jaw 20. The entire jaw along with cap screws 26, 27 then pivot rearwardly to the fully open position shown in FIG. 4. As this position is reached, the cap screws cooperate with the flaring side of opening 28 to support the parts as shown in FIG. 4. All parts of the assembly remain captively assembled and cannot become displaced or lost. To avoid any possibility of the cap screws becoming detached the upper ends of the threaded shanks may be upset slightly to safeguard against these screws being loosened too far.

After the cable has been stretched and seated in channel 13, the jaw is closed and bolt 30 is pivoted to its closed position in notch 38. Thereafter, the cap screws and nut 34 are tightened. Owing to the described position of bolt 30 relative to cap screw 27, it is evident that equal tightening of each automatically imposes a greater clamping stress on the portions of the cable underlying the rear or right-hand end of the jaw as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIGS. 5 through 8, there is shown a second preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the same or similar elements are designated by the same reference characters as in FIGS. 1 to 4 but distinguished therefrom by the addition of a prime. This embodiment of the clamp differs from that just described essentially in that it includes only one cap screw 26 cooperating with L-bolt 30' to hold the clamping jaw 20 in clamping position. Clamp is of smaller capacity than that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and employs a shorter clamping jaw. The main body 11 is provided with a pair of upwardly flaring openings 28' one of which accommodates cap screw 26 and the other of which cooperates with a boss 43 projecting downwardly from the clamping jaw to hold the jaw properly aligned and parallel with the cable-seating channel 13 when fully open. Thus, it will be noted from FIG. 8 that the outer or left-hand edge of boss 43 is generally parallel with the threaded shank of cap screw 26' and rests against the outermost edge of the flaring opening 28' to support the jaw in its open position.

While the particular dead end clamp herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A dead end clamp for conductors, cables and the like comprising a high-strength main body having clevis means at one end thereof for pivotal attachment to an anchorage, the other end of said main body being formed lengthwise thereof with an upwardly opening cable-seating channel, an elongated cable clamping jaw having one lateral edge portion overlying said channel with its underside grooved to seat over the upper side of a cable to be clamped and its other lateral edge portion projecting over one lateral edge portion of said main body, an inverted L-shaped clamping bolt having the end of its shorter leg pivotally connected to the upper side of said clamping jaw and its longer leg threaded and equipped with a clamping nut, said L-shaped bolt being pivotable through an arc in excess of degrees between a clamping position with its shorter leg extending horizontally crosswise of said seating channel and its longer leg extending vertically along one side of said seating channel with the clamping nut underlying one lateral edge of said main body, cap screw means extending upwardly through upwardly flaring opening means in said main body and into threaded engagement with said clamping jaw, the threaded leg of said L-bolt being disposed on the opposite sides of said cable seating channel and cooperating when tightened to press said clamping jaw and said main body against the opposite sides of a cable to anchor the same firmly in place in said cable-seating channel, and said L-bolt being pivotable when loosened upwardly in excess of 180 degrees so as to counterbalance itself and said jaw laterally away from said seating channel leaving the channel fully open and unobstructed.

2. A clamp as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said cap screw means is located adjacent one end of said clamping jaw and remotely from the clevis end of said main body.

3. A clamp as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said L-bolt is pivotally connected to the upper side of said clamping jaw in an area located between said cap screw means and the clevis end of said main body.

4. A clamp as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the upwardly flaring opening means for said cap screw means cooperates with the cap screw means in limiting the extent of the opening movement of said clamping jaw.

5. A clamp as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said jaw and said main body are provided with a cooperating boss and opening respectively positioned to limit opening pivotal movement of said jaw and in holding said jaw parallel to said cable-seating channel when in open position.

6. A clamp as defined in claim 4 characterized in the provision of closed loop means formed in said main body remotely from said clevis means and closely offset beside one end portion of said cable-seating channel to which tackle block cable-pulling equipment can be anchored while a cable is being anchored and serviced.

7. A clarnp as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of a pair of cap screws passing upwardly through respective upwardly flaring openings formed in said main body closely beside one lateral edge of said cable-seating channel and into threaded openings in said clamping jaw, said flaring openings and cap screws co operating to hold said jaw parallel to said seating channel and firmly supported in the fully open position thereof.

8. A clamp as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said cap screws are offset to either side of said L-shaped bolt.

9. A clamp as defined in claim 7 characterized in that one of said cap screws is closer to said L-shaped bolt than the other of said cap screws.

10. A clamp as defined in claim 9 characterized in that the cap screw closer to said clevis is also closer to the adjacent upper end of said L-shaped bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner 

